Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, Brighton Dome's newly crowned resident orchestra, open their season with a bang

Khrystyna Mykhailichenko
& the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
© Frances Marshall

Khrystyna Mykhailichenko (piano)

Emily Trubshaw (violin)

Joanna MacGregor (conductor)

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

Ruth Rogers (leader)

2.45pm, Sunday 27 September 2026

Dome Concert Hall, Brighton

★★★★

Gershwin, George (1898-1937): Cuban Overture

Rachmaninov, Sergei (1873-1943): Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

Piazzolla, Astor (1921-1992): Estaciones Porteñas, No. 3 - Primavera Porteña (arr. Desyatnikov, Leonid (b.1955))

Janáček, Leoš (1854-1928): Sinfonietta

Joanna MacGregor
© Frances Marshall

Hot on the heels of the announcement that Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra is to become the resident orchestra at Brighton Dome, the orchestra launched its new season in style with another exciting programme. As ever, Music Director, and today’s conductor, Joanna MacGregor put together a programme that managed to showcase different sections of the orchestra, as well as featuring not one but two soloists. So the brass section were the stars of the show in Janáček’s dazzling Sinfonietta, whilst the percussionists had their moment in the opener, Gershwin’s cinematic Cuban Overture, with the strings taking centre stage for the Piazzolla. 

Gershwin’s lively Cuban Overture opened proceedings, with its quartet of Cuban percussion instruments at the side of the stage behind the violins, with more percussion at the back. It took the orchestra a little while to settle into the rhythms, but once up and running, they had fun with it. There’s a lot going on, not just the percussion quartet, but frequent cross rhythms for the woodwinds, as well as solo moments for cor anglais, a slinky clarinet, and a duet for oboe and cor anglais. Given the busyness, balance wasn’t always ideal, so some detail was obscured, but all in all, this was a joyful opener, the Tom and Jerry style strings and the brassy buildup back to the opening music bringing it all to a playful conclusion, all steered with a bounce from MacGregor.  

 

Ukrainian-born pianist Khrystyna Mykhailichenko, pupil of MacGregor’s, then gave a confident and exciting rendition of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, all the more impressive as it was her first live performance of the work. She rippled effortlessly through the rapid motion of the faster variations, yet was sensitive and expressive in the big romantic D flat variation. The orchestral support was on the whole sound, although there were moments of less than unanimous tuning amongst the reeds and horns – all in all, woodwind blend could have been better. The strings produced a rich sound, however, and their response to the big romantic tune was suitably warm, and the woodwinds’ pickup after Mykhailichenko’s thundering double octaves was solid. MacGregor was alert to both soloist and orchestra throughout, making for a strong performance here. Given the connection, here’s hoping Mykhailichenko returns to Brighton soon.

 

Emily Trubshaw and the BPO strings
© Frances Marshall

Astor Piazzolla’s Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) is a wonderfully evocative work, originally written for Piazzolla’s quintet, with the composer on bandoneon. Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov arranged the set of four pieces for Latvian violinist, Gidon Kramer, scoring it for solo violin and string ensemble, and bringing the link to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons more to the fore, with little quotes from the earlier masterpiece. Today, the solo violinist was Emily Trubshaw, a member of the BPO’s Spring Forwards scheme (along with nine other young players in the orchestra today), which offers orchestral experience and mentoring to exceptional young players at the start of their careers. With the BPO string section standing, they performed Primavera Porteña (Spring in Buenos Aires) from the set, without conductor. They began with the ensemble’s leader, Ruth Rogers setting the rhythm, quickly joined by offbeat scratches from the leader of the second violins, Julia Loucks. Viola and cello followed, before Trubshaw took up the dancing tango line with panache. Her silky slow solo line in the central section was equally infectious, with throbbing double bass stabbing out the beat below. As the opening music returned, the strings luxuriated in their sweeps, and Rogers jammed with cross rhythms against Trubshaw’s melody. More virtuosic riffs from Trubshaw, led to a pause, with quick cheeky snippets of the Vivaldi to finish. A fun opener to the second half – it would be great for Trubshaw to return to give us the full set of Estaciones Porteñas sometime.

 

And finally, the Janáček. His Sinfonietta was written for the Sokol Festival in Prague, promoting Czech culture and sport, and it is packed full of fairytale and folk influences, as well as the blazing fanfare that opens and closes the work. The brass reinforcements arrived on stage and stood for their glorious fanfare, no fewer than nine trumpets and two bass trumpets, delivering the striking opening with precision and confidence. We were then given rattling woodwinds, muted trombones and dancing strings in The Castle, followed by rich, sliding strings in The Queen’s Monastery, this movement concluding with virtuosic horn whinnies. The Street Leading to the Castle is dominated by another brassy theme (for those of a certain age forever linked to Crown Court), and this was again delivered with energy, with winding violins, raspy muted horns and bells. The Town Hall, Brno creates a dazzling townscape, and all the dancing and activity built up to the brass standing once again for the return of their fanfare, their majestic confidence bringing this successful season opener to a blazing conclusion.

Another benchmark 1610 Vespers from I Fagiolini in their 40th year

I Fagiolini and the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble
© Monika S Jakubowska (2023)

Robert Hollingworth (organ/director)

I Fagiolini:

Amy Wood (soprano)

Ciara Hendrick (mezzo soprano)

Martha McLorinan (mezzo soprano)

Nicholas Mulroy (tenor)

Hugo Hymas (tenor)

Matthew Long (tenor)

Jacob Ewens (tenor)

Greg Skidmore (baritone)

Sebastian Thomas (barítone)

Charles Gibbs (bass)

Frederick Long (bass)

I Fagiolini & the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble
© Nick Boston

Kinga Ujszászi (violin)

Persephone Gibbs (violin)

Rachel Byrt (viola)

Julia Black (viola)

Sarah McMahon (bass violin)

William Hunt (violone)

William Lyons (dulcian/recorder)

Toby Carr (chitarrone)

Lynda Sayce (chitarrone)

Aileen Henry (harp)

Catherine Pierron (organ)

English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble:

Gawain Glenton (cornett)

Conor Hastings (cornett)

David Brutti (cornett)

Emily White (tenor sackbut)

Tom Lees (tenor sackbut)

Adrian France (bass sackbut)

7.30pm, Friday 18 September, 2026

King's Place, London

★★★★★

Monteverdi, Claudio (1567-1643): Vespro della Beata Vergine, SV 206

'Tenor Nicholas Mulroy was the stand out star of proceedings, his Nigra sum, with Aileen Henry’s beautiful harp accompaniment, a masterclass of controlled virtuosity'. 

'It was this bright and more soloistic approach that made for such a consistent flow of interest and variety, whilst their ability to come together as one in the fuller choral sections produced a truly electric energy'. 

'The cornetts rippled, the sackbuts glowed, the strings provided bright and nimble energy'.

'(Hollingworth's) lightness of touch yet authoritative beat allowed singers and instrumentalists the space to perform with individuality within a coherent common shape'.

'If I could add a further star, I would'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Choral Contemplations - The Phoenix Consort under Adam Whitmore excel in a broad collection of effective sacred settings

I very much enjoyed the Phoenix Consort’s debut recording back in 2024 (review here), and they’re back on Convivium Records with their third recording, Choral Contemplation, an album of sacred introits and motets by a range of contemporary composers. Adam Whitmore founded the Phoenix Consort during the pandemic at Durham University, since then expanding to draw on young choral artists from across the UK. In their short time together, they have already won a couple of competition prizes and toured in northern Spain, and once again I am struck by their strong command of blend and tone.

This new disc has close connections with their record company too. Adrian Green (b.1985), Convivium’s Managing Director, is also a composer himself, and the connecting thread between all the composers on this disc is the influence of the self-taught polymath and teacher, Leon MacLaren (1910-1994), who set up the Music Group at the School of Philosophy and Economic Science (which he also founded). That Music Group looked at the nature of sound and silence, and the connection between music and the meaning of text – in his words, what matters is ‘not what the words say, but where they’re coming from, and music has the capacity to connect us with this’. As someone who has sung chorally all my life, inevitably singing many settings of sacred texts, despite not having any religious belief, I do find this interesting, as I know from personal experience the power of music to move and touch one’s ‘soul’ on a deep level, regardless of one’s beliefs.

 

With 19 works from 9 composers (just one woman amongst them), most coming in at around two minutes long, it’s not possible to comment on every piece. Suffice to say the standard is consistently high, with clarity of text-setting in common across the board. This clarity is enhanced throughout by the crystal precision of the Phoenix Consort, with a purity of tone that nevertheless gives expressive weight when needed, thus avoiding the somewhat anodyne purity that can characterise even the best of choirs. Harmonically there are few shocks here, with many pieces centring strongly around a fixed tonic, and minimal modulation. Yet the settings are mostly effective and seldom lacking in interest. 

 

Picking out a few highlights, David Fletcher’s (1931-2024) Set me as a seal contrasts weaving lines with sections of closer homophony, and O Oriens by David Goymour (b.1946) is one of the more polyphonic offerings, in contrast with John-Paul Bowman’s (b.1985) homophonic, simply set A new commandment, which follows it. Noel Skinner’s  (1947-2019) For the Fallen is a touchingly contemplative setting of Binyon’s familiar poem, here arranged for SATB from Skinner’s original for young voices by Matthew Coleridge. Rosemary Broadbent’s (b.1950) And he arose combines tenderness in its outer sections with a more playfully dancing central section. Gillian Thompson joins on piano to accompany the singers for Peter Blumson’s (1942-2026) What is man?, which combines its straightforward melody with the steady motion of the piano to simple effect. 

 

Green’s The Absorbeat (Prayer of St Francis), the longest, and most striking piece here, contrasts sections for upper or lower voices with pulsing harmonies below a soaring soprano line. Falling sequences of suspensions, richly sung by the Phoenix Consort lower voices in particular, increase in intensity, adding urgency to the prayerful pleas. Derek Saunders’ (b.1966) Be still, and know that I am God uses drones, mostly in the lower voices, to underpin the gently moving parts, creating a successful sense of stillness. Skinner’s The earth is the Lord’s is for upper voices, which shine brightly here. Baritone Will Pate impresses in Green’s Every good gift, his Latin chant initially alone then set against effective choral writing, and the choir further excel in Bruce Ramell’s (b.1939) declamatory O Adonai which follows this.

 

Strong solos from within the choir enhance a few pieces, adding further interest to an otherwise relatively homogenous soundworld, perhaps inevitable in such an extensive collection of short sacred settings. Of course ‘contemplation’ is in the disc’s title, but greater rhythmic variety and energy would have been welcome to break things up a little. Nonetheless, this is an impressive collection of works that choirs looking for new repertoire would do well to explore (with free downloadable scores here). And I look forward to hearing more from Adam Whitmore’s Phoenix Consort.

Various. 2026. Choral Contemplations - Sacred Introits & Motets. Phoenix Consort, Adam Whitmore. Compact Disc/Download. Convivium Records CR130.

Kirill Petrenko and the Berlin Phil demonstrate their world-class status at the BBC Proms

Kirill Petrenko conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker
© Berliner Philharmoniker/Lena Laine

Kirill Petrenko

Berliner Philharmoniker

6.30pm, Wednesday 2 September 2026
BBC Proms
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

Elgar, Sir Edward (1857-1934): Variations on an Original Theme for Orchestra, Op. 36, 'Enigma'

Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Ilyich (1840-1893): Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

Kirill Petrenko conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker
© Berliner Philharmoniker/Lena Laine

'It would take something special to stand out, yet stand out this did'.

'It’s the level of commitment to excellence that stood ou't.

'As for the force of nature that is Kirill Petrenko, he was certainly not going through the motions... Constantly wired and alert...'

Elgar:

'...tempi were quick, Petrenko avoiding the overindulgence which can be born of familiarity'.

Tchaikovsky:

'...this was a thrilling rendition, and the thrashed chords followed by a long general pause in which the whole hall held its breath, was followed by an electrifying finish'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Kirill Petrenko & the Berliner Philharmoniker
© Nick Boston

Jamie Barton and Clay Hilley ride the waves for Mahler's epic farewell

Clay Hiller & Anja Bihlmaier
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Jamie Barton (mezzo-soprano)

Clay Hilley (tenor)

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)

7pm, Friday 21 August 2026
BBC Proms
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

El-Turk, Bushra (b.1982): Mosaic

Haydn, Joseph (1732-1809): Symphony Not 45 in F sharp minor, 'Farewell'

Mahler, Gustav (1860-1911): Das Lied von der Erde

Jamie Barton & Anja Bihlmaier
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

El-Turk:

'A striking piece that definitely benefits from repeat listening'.

Haydn:

'The players’ gradual departure was stylishly staged and, following Bihlmaier‘s departure and a cheeky yawn and wave from the viola, the two violinists were left alone to finish'.

Mahler:

'Hilley’s operatic delivery of the Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery was gripping, full of drunken swagger. Despite initial balance issues, his repeated 'Dark is life, dark is death!' rang through with knife-edge precision'.

'Bihlmaier brought the orchestra right down, allowing Barton to colour her delivery with sensuous slides, shimmering with golden sunlight'. 

'Barton exuded warmth for 'Die liebe Erde' with mandolins again and celesta, before the final tragic 'Ewig' (Forever) repetitions brought the evening to a sombre yet peaceful conclusion'.  

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

'Chopin sans Chopin' - pianist Adam Golka excels in viewing wide-ranging 19th & 20th repertoire through the lens of the piano giant

Polish-American pianist Adam Golka already has three recordings with First Hand Records under his belt, with repertoire covering Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann. But with his new recording, Chopin sans Chopin, he takes a different turn. The fascinating premise covers a wide range of 19^th and 20^th century music, all through the lens of Chopin, without a note of Chopin actually played. Golka explains in his fascinating and personally reflective notes the significance but also the burden of Chopin for a pianist of Polish heritage. As the son of Polish parents, a pianist and a piano technician, Chopin’s music loomed large, and perhaps in reaction to this, he describes how he turned away from Chopin to other repertoire. The album is therefore part of his ‘wading upstream towards the river’s source’, a kind of return to Chopin and his Polish heritage. So for all the music here – some close to Chopin either chronologically or stylistically, some seemingly further removed – there is a rationale for us to view it in terms of being either directly or indirectly inspired by Chopin. 

So he begins with a beautifully flowing and calm reading of Fauré’s Nocturne No. 4, Op. 36. Fauré’s later Nocturnes push the boundaries of the form harmonically and scale-wise, but here, we’re very much in the moonlit, lyrical territory of Chopin’s. Yet listening with the earlier composer in mind immediately casts a different light on the work, and the same happens with Brahms’ Scherz, Op. 4 that follows. It’s hard to comprehend that Brahms allegedly denied any influence of Chopin on the piece, as both in terms of dramatic mood and specifics of repetition and octave passages, the links are strong. Golka’s performance here also manages to bring out the lighter moments that some weightier readings miss, making the connection even stronger, particularly with the opening mercurial figures, yet he doesn’t hold back on the drama either, especially driving to the wild conclusion. Several rather neglected Polish composers also receive attention, beginning with a delightful Mazurka from Natalia Janotha (1856-1932), a premiere recording, no less. She studied with Clara Schumann, and may also have had lessons from Brahms. Golka has combined elements of two published versions of this gem from 1894, and his delicate articulation around its engaging melodic line is contrasted well with the quirky, almost jazzy, even ragtime-esque central section, with a wild flourish into its closing section. Much wilder, more extravagant Romanticism comes next in the form of Scriabin’s surging Fantasie, Op. 28, steeped in his reverence for Chopin. Golka rides its glorious waves, and the build to the conclusion is nothing short of remarkable. Back to Poland next for another Mazurka, this time by Roman Maciejewski (1910-1998), subtitled Wieczorem (Upon Evening), probably dating from the composer’s time in Sweden, to where he emigrated at the start of World War II. It has glassy, Ravelian harmonies, as well as Stravinskian and Poulenc-infused bouncy rhythmic sections, yet there are still hints of Chopin’s melodic twists that remind us of the Mazurka form, and Golka’s warm tone and delicate articulation is a delight here. Next we travel to Mexico, for Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) and his Balada Mexicana, with its infectious folk melody with gently rocking accompaniment. A florid outburst leads to a more graceful, nostalgic central section based on another folk song, Acuerdate de mi (Remember me), and Golka ripples through the runs and trills before returning with virtuosic ebullience to the opening heart-on-sleeve melody. 

A slight left-turn next, to Gershwin’s Three Preludes. Chopin, you say? Well Chopin’s Prelude No. 2 is surely there in the left hand of Gershwin’s No. 2, and the movement has the same dark edge in its movement, perfect for the bluesy right hand. It’s often played slower than here, although it is marked andante con moto, and Golka’s sense of movement works well. Either side, the first has joyful rhythmic energy, and the third drives through like a Chopin Fantasie. Back to Poland again for Władysław Szpilman (1911-2000), known to most as the protagonist of Polański’s film The Pianist. His Mazurka is full of heartbreaking nostalgia, with self-evident homage to Chopin, and Golka infuses this miniature with moving simplicity. And finally, Golka heads into the jazzy world of Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020), for two of his 8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40. No. 7, Intermezzo moves from laid-back jazzy swing into a virtuosic, theatrical display, and No. 8, Finale, with its train-like running rhythm gives Golka the chance to show off his command of its fiendish technical demands. The Chopin thread aside, the range of repertoire on this disc is extensive, and Golka is impressive throughout. And the trick of making us listen with Chopin in mind works remarkably well, bringing out new connections in the few familiar works here, but also demonstrating the wide-spread and sometimes unexpected influences Chopin has had on piano repertoire across the centuries since. I appreciate the baggage attached, but it would be great to hear Golka record some Chopin now – maybe reverse the lens from this disc, to some of the pieces mentioned that connect with this repertoire?

Various. 2026. Chopin sans Chopin. Adam Golka. Compact Disc. First Hand Records FHR168.

My review of Golka playing Schumann here.

Ibragimova's Mendelssohn a tad too delicate for Schwarz and the BBCNOW

Elena Schwarz
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Alina Ibragimova (violin)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Lesley Hatfield (leader)
Elena Schwarz (conductor)

7pm, Tuesday 4 August 2026
BBC Proms
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★

Zimmermann, Bernd Alois (1918-1970): Märchen-Suite
Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-1847): Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Dvořák, Anton (1842-1904): Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70

Alina Ibragimova
& the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Zimmermann:

'Schwarz’s larger-than-life gestures encouraged the orchestra to put their full weight behind it. Elsewhere, the strings went from pianissimo shimmering to screaming forte, against shining brass and mysterious, atmospheric woodwinds, in an overall engaging performance of this curiousity'.

Mendelssohn:

'Ibragimova’s risk-taking dynamics were definitely worth it, drawing the whole hall in for her intimate cadenza, and for her passionately singing slow movement'.

'Some of the time, Schwarz managed to get the orchestra to match Ibragimova’s dynamic range, but elsewhere, it was like the orchestra hadn’t got the memo'.

Dvořák:

'Schwarz felt freer to give big gestures and allow the horns to lead the fuller sound in the opening movement'. 

Elena Schwarz
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

'The finale fizzed with rattling horns and beefy trombones, building to a triumphant finish, although the slide into the final chords felt a tad rushed – blink and it was all over'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.